Walks and Hits Per Inning Pitched
Walks plus hits per inning: how much traffic a pitcher allows.
What it actually is. Walks and hits allowed per inning pitched. Baserunners, divided by outs, times three.
What a scout reads off it. Often a cleaner read on a pitcher than earned run average, because it counts what he allowed rather than what happened afterwards. A pitcher with a good earned run average and a poor WHIP has been stranding runners at a rate that will not last.
Where the lines are. Around 1.00 is elite, 1.20 is good, 1.40 is trouble. The scale is tight and small differences are real.
How it lies to you. It counts a walk and a single as identical, and ignores the home run entirely, which is the one thing a pitcher allows that cannot be stranded.
Batter's Eye: look up anything in baseball